Christ Himself, the Sum of All Things!

Christianity is a PERSON, not a procedure; the LORD, not a list! Not church attendance, not Christ- like qualities, not good works, not the Christian "to-do list" (which may vary depending on the group and "camp" you are in)...

Not evangelism, not mission trips, not a quality "quiet time," not Scripture memorization or Bible study...

Not spiritual disciplines, not prayer, not fasting, not obedience, not miracle-working faith...

Not ______________________ (you fill in the blank with your favorite supposed "godliness-producing external" activity).

No!

The LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God!

He is God's AMEN and total sum of all things!

...the glory of God..is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT

Stay tuned and be ready to reflect on our Lord Jesus, the Father's All in All.  May you begin to see those spiritual activities fall into perspective, and maybe some will even fall away, in light of all HE is...EVERYTHING and anything you will ever need!

For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:9-10 NLT

May this become your equation for life:

JESUS + nothing = Everything*

Your All-encompassing God has you!

ps 139

A prayerful declaration for your Today, dear friend!  The Almighty Triune God of the Universe has you...you are cocooned in Him through our Lord & King Jesus Christ! God to enfold me,God to surround me,God in my speaking,God in my thinking.

God in my sleeping,God in my waking,God in my watching,God in my hoping.

God in my life,God in my lips,God in my soul,God in my heart.

God in my suffering,God in my slumber,God in mine ever-living soul,God in mine eternity.

-Ancient Celtic Christian Prayer

Repeat it again changing God to Christ, then to the Holy Spirit, then to Love, because the God who is Love loves you tenderly and with the utmost affection...even smiling upon you...today, right now!

So today you can live from that union with the Living, Loving God in Christ.

psalm 139

Spend some time in Psalm139 today and enjoy His abiding presence by resting in this song:

​Nothing is Beyond You

Where could I go, where could I runEven if I found the strength to flyAnd if I rose on the wings of the dawnAnd crashed through the corner of the sky

If I sailed past the edge of the seaEven if I made my bed in HellStill there You would find me

'Cause nothing is beyond YouYou stand beyond the reachOf our vain imaginationsOur misguided piety

The heavens stretch to hold YouAnd deep cries out to deepSaying that nothing is beyond YouNothing is beyond You

Time cannot contain YouYou fill eternitySin can never stain YouDeath has lost its sting

And I cannot explain the way You came to love meExcept to say that nothing is beyond YouNothing is beyond You

If I should shrink back from the lightSo I can sink into the darkIf I take cover and I close my eyesEven then You would see my heart

And You'd cut through all my pain and rageThe darkness is not dark to YouAnd night's as bright as day

Nothing is beyond YouYou stand beyond the reachOf our vain imaginationsOur misguided piety

The heavens stretch to hold YouAnd deep cries out to deepSaying that nothing is beyond YouNothing is beyond You

And time cannot contain YouYou fill eternitySin can never stain YouAnd death has lost its sting

And I cannot explain the way You came to love meExcept to say that nothing is beyond YouNothing is beyond YouNothing is beyond You

Songwriters RICH MULLINS, MITCH MCVICKER, TOM BOOTH

Abide with me...

Brother Lawrence

The abiding presence of my loving Savior...how warm, how tender!  On these cold winter mornings...and especially when the heat of the struggle of my day is very truly upon me...how comforting to turn afresh...again and again...to the very real "I AM-ness" of my Lord right here, right now. I'm reminded of a humble, obscure, "pot-scrubbing" monk from centuries past, Brother Lawrence.Reading his words as a young adult, in the more contemplative stage of my life as a young novice, was arresting and brought solace:

The time of business does not differ with me from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great a tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament. The Practice of the Presence of God

And now as I read, in the closing years of my life, I'm comforted even more...today, right here, right now, in this present moment...while life is clamoring and stresses are upon me, I relish and rejoice in this:  HE abides, lives, makes His home, with me...IN me!

Maybe you too have life with its stresses clamoring today!  Are you a stay-at-home mom with little ones all calling for you at the same time?

Are you at your job, with everyone needing you "yesterday" and your to-do list screaming for your attention?

Are you in a hospital bed, just wondering about the bills and even your next breath?

Turn your mind and heart to your indwelling, ever abiding, Lord and enjoy His presence, listen for His voice, invite Him into your need...today, right now.*

He is here!

Abide With Me

Abide with me, fast falls the eventideThe darkness deepens, Lord, with me abideWhen other helpers fail and comforts fleeHelp of the helpless, O abide with me

I need Thy presence every passing hourWhat but Thy grace can foil the tempter's powerWho like Thyself my guide and stay can beThrough the cloud and sunshine, O abide with me

Abide, abide with meAbide, abide with me

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory?I triumph still if [read, since] Thou abide with me

Abide, with me Abide, With meAbide, abide with meAbide, abide with me

*I love the mellow voice and style of this song by Amy Grant.  To me, it is not a plea for Christ to abide, but rather a loving longing to experience His presence at every juncture of life.  Sing from that heart longing!

Cocooning...

Two years ago, a friend on Facebook posted this picture of thermal glass igloos to view the Northern Lights in Finland:

glass igloo

Isn't that a fun, amazing thought?  To see the Northern Lights through your own heated "igloo!"

I just had to share it on my Facebook wall with the caption,

Field trip, anyone?

I was just kidding, of course, but I was shocked at how many people commented,

Count me in! Me too!"

ice

Here in the Dayton, Ohio area, we seem to again be in the "Polar Vortex." 

Oh, the Polar Vortex!  Oh, school closings and work cancellations!  Oh, cocooning in my nice, warm house!  I am so grateful!

For me, it's the Lord's way to get me to slow down, get caught up at home, and just enjoy some quiet reflection with HIM!

I know, I know!  Everyone does not have the same attitude...and the same safe place of refuge.  But since every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights, I will thank Him and enjoy!

So as I settle in to enjoy my warm day at home, I think of those "igloos" to view the Northern Lights.

How much better, as I grab my cup of warm "something" this winter morning, to view the Light of the World --- our Lord Jesus Christ -- from my warm "igloo" of God's Word, the Scriptures.

Bible & tea

Would you like to join me?

Grab your favorite warm "something." Then open your Bible and your heart.

Take in the brilliant glory of Jesus Christ, the Light of Life!

...[we] who walked in darkness    have seen a great light;...[we] who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,    on...[us] has light shone. Isaiah 9:2 ESV [my paraphrase & application]

Amen!

You may want to explore the gospel of John, chapters 1, 8, and 9.

HAPPY COCOONING WITH THE LORD!

  See you next time!

Immanuel's Land...even Now!

Many of us have said our tearful "good-byes" to loved ones in the past year.  Many of us will say those same "good-byes" to others this coming year.  In fact, there are those among us who may say our own "good-bye" to this broken, yet beloved, world. Where is the comfort?

Perhaps the comfort can come in the final lines of each stanza of an old, forgotten hymn:

Glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land!

hour glass, sands

I rediscovered this tender hymn at the memorial service of a dear brother, who went home to Jesus recently. The Sands of Time are Sinking is a song that I always knew as Immanuel's Land. My own title comes from that last line of each stanza.  These hauntingly profound words were the dying words of a "great" in the faith, Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661). Inspired by his story, the hymn writer, 200 years later, penned the words of this magnificent piece leaving us with a treasure, not only to sing, but to deeply ponder...and worship.

There is tremendous comfort in the truth that those who fall asleep in Jesus are enraptured, as we speak, with the glory of being in their Immanuel's presence!  As someone has once said, if you were able to ask them if they wanted to return, the answer would be an overwhelming, "NO!"

But even though Immanuel's Land speaks mainly about seeing our Savior face-to-face in heaven, I have discovered the truth of Paul's penetrating and amazing words of delight (which are alluded to in the second stanza)...enjoyment of our glorious Immanuel Jesus is ours to "taste" in the "right here, right now"!

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,    and no mind has imaginedwhat God has prepared    for those who love him.”

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NLT

Many spiritual kingdom revelations and intimacies can be for our "today."  When a heart is filled with the Triune God through the indwelling Holy Spirit, Immanuel's Land is here!

In that vein, take special note of the last 3 stanzas, and join me in declaring "Glory! Glory!"

The sands of time are sinking, The dawn of heaven breaks; The summer morn I'’ve sighed for - The fair, sweet morn awakes: Dark, dark had been the midnight But dayspring is at hand, And glory, glory dwelleth In Immanuel'’s land.

sunrise over ocean

O Christ, He is the fountain, The deep, sweet well of love! The streams on earth I'’ve tasted More deep I’ll drink above: There to an ocean fullness His mercy doth expand, And glory, glory dwelleth In Immanuel’'s land.

O I am my Beloved’'s And my Beloved is mine! He brings a poor vile sinner Into His house of wine I stand upon His merit - I know no other stand, Not e'’en where glory dwelleth In Immanuel’'s land.

The bride eyes not her garment, But her dear Bridegroom’'s face; I will not gaze at glory But on my King of grace. Not at the crown He giveth But on His pierced hand; The Lamb is all the glory Of Immanuel’'s land.

THE SANDS OF TIME ARE SINKING TEXT: Anne Ross Cundell Cousin MUSIC: Phillip Palmertree

New Year Prayer and Encouragement

Frances Havergal

I love praise and worship music...and many of our contemporary songs express the heart of what we often go through in our lives. But time and again, what a treat to sink down deep into an old hymn book and enter the depths of communion expressed by saints of old.  One such saint of old is Frances Havergal and here are two of her little known hymns written to be sung at the beginning of a new year.

The first I discovered on facebook a few days ago...and then it just "happened" to be one we sang at church* today.  What a delight!  The second, also sung at church today, thrilled my heart.  In it the recurring theme of fear not discovers me again.  And the reality of God's presence with us pervades both.

Please enjoy, dear brothers and sisters, even if you don't sing.  Enjoy them as a poetic way to pray and worship your way into the year ahead.

Another Year is Dawning

Another year dawning

Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be In working or in waiting, another year with Thee. Another year of progress, another year of praise, Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace, Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face; Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast; Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.

Another year of service, of witness for Thy love, Another year of training for holier work above. Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be On earth, or else in heaven, another year for Thee.

​Standing at the Portal

Standing at the portalOf the opening year,Words of comfort meet us,Hushing every fear;Spoken thru the silenceBy our Savior’s voice,Tender, strong and faithful,Making us rejoice.

Refrain

Onward, then, and fear not,Children of the day;For His Word shall never,Never pass away.

Abba

“I, the Lord, am with thee,Be thou not afraid;I will help and strengthenBe thou not dismayed.Yea, I will uphold theeWith My own right hand;Thou art called and chosenIn My sight to stand.”

Refrain

For the year before us,O what rich supplies!For the poor and needyLiving streams shall rise;For the sad and sinfulShall His grace abound;For the faint and feeblePerfect strength be found.

Refrain

He will never fail us,He will not forsake;For His eternal covenantHe will never break.Resting on the promise,What have we to fear?God is all sufficientFor the coming year.

Refrain [youtuber youtube='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av5BKbgwbvc']

*Believers Assembly, Bellbrook, OH

Fear Not: a Conversation (a.k.a. prayer) for the New Year

My child...

Fear not...you are never alone for I am with you!

Fear not...you are never left out for you are one with Me !

Fear not...you are never condemned, but always accepted! I not only love you...I like you!

Fear not...you are always adequate with My adequacy...no matter how helpless and inadequate you feel!

Fear not...you are alive with my everlasting, indestructible life, no matter how dead you feel inside! I am your Life!

I AM in your "right here, right now," whether it be suffering in a hospital room or struggling over a wardrobe choice in your closet...and everything in between...I am with you!

Lord, I believe, help my unbelief...

You are my Courage, when I am afraid!

You are my Adequacy, when I am helpless and afraid of failing!

You are my Comfort Zone, and nothing You send me is outside of YOU, my Comfort Zone Christ!

You are my words, the Word, when my words fail me!

I invite you, O my King, my indwelling Lord...

into my fears...one by one...moment by moment...day by day...

into my mind and harassing thoughts...

into my nervous system and blood pressure that tends to be like the wind and waves being tossed to and fro...

into each and every thing I face today and for as many days as we walk together on this earth...

I chose YOU afresh this year, my God.  Amen.

The Lord is ever present with us. Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come. And know that the peace of God (a peace that is beyond any and all of our human understanding) will stand watch over your hearts and minds in Jesus, the Anointed One.

Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy... and the God of peace will walk with you. Philippians 4:5b-9 VOICE

Facing the New Year without Regret

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past.Behold, I will do something NEW, now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:18-19

Everyone has regrets...it's part of the human condition!

We regret our offenses:

• hurts we have caused

• sins we've committed

• walls we've built up toward others

We regret our missed opportunities:

• to take advantage of new, though frightening, possibilities

• to choose love in difficult relationships

• to die to our own selfishness in order to serve

And the lists go on...and the regrets can eat you alive

• maybe because we can't believe we were so selfish or foolish!

• maybe because we can't undo them!

• maybe because those opportunities are gone forever!

But whatever the regret or the reason, if we are to begin afresh in the NEW YEAR, we need to put the past to rest...to rest, that is, in the hands of our Sovereign Father God.

Oswald Chambers says it well, speaking of the regret Christ's disciples must have felt when they didn't watch and pray with the Lord...

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair [...regret?].

The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, "Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore." If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair.

But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, "Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing."

In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.

There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them.

The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.”

If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption. Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step.

Jesus is in the redeeming and renewing business.  He has promises that are sure:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.    1 John 1:7-9

So we can flip the page of the calendar to this new year...trusting that our Sovereign God is weaving everything in our lives-- past, present, and future--including our faults, failures, and yes, even our sin (because of His grace) into the beautiful tapestry of His eternal purpose in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-14: Romans 8:28-39).

My life is like a weaving Between my Lord and me I do not chose the colors He worketh patiently Sometimes He weaveth sorrow And I in foolish pride Forgets He sees the upper And I the underside

Not till the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly Shall God unroll the canvas And explain the reasons why The dark threads are as needful In the Weaver's skillful hand As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned

Author Unknown

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Be sure to see

Giving and Receiving...2013

Sue Cutting's Fleeting Sands of Time

Post Christmas Comfort: Fear Not...Emmanuel Finally & Forever (Part 3)

fear

As the old year is coming to a close and the holiday glitz and cheer have dwindled, what is rushing in?  Anxieties and fears for today and the year yet to come? Then hear these words again from your Creator and Savior:

Fear not, for I am near you!

Fear not, for I am closely associated with you! I've gone through it all too!

And now finally and forever...

Fear not, for I am united with you forever...we are one!

Through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, God with Us, we are now in union with God, always and forever.  We are one with HIM!

Through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the right Hand of the Father, Christ made this union possible through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The night before He died, our Lord told His close friends:

...it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate [the Holy Spirit] won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. John 16:7 NLT

And it is through the indwelling Spirit of God that we are forever united to the Triune God.  So with that in mind then, Jesus could then pray that very night for all of us believers down through the ages,

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me... I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them. John 17:20-26 NLT

The apostle Paul then later on would expound on this indwelling Spirit of Christ,

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.... For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God...

Abba

And what is our spirit like, now that we are united to the indwelling Spirit of God?

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory... Romans 8:9-17 NLT

Did you notice?  It's not a fearful spirit that is afraid of God, but recognizes the sovereign Creator of the universe as our Abba...yes Daddy!!! WOW! So then what about all the other fears we have?

...fear of one another:  does she like me? will they leave me out?

...fear of ourselves: am I adequate? will I fail? will I get cancer?

...fear of material creation: will I have enough to pay the bills this month? will I have enough to last through the rest of my life?

But the Lord describes the spirit He has given us:

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 AMP

So, of course, we will be afraid in this fearful, fallen world, but we can face our fears with the courage of the indwelling Spirit of Christ...with power for whatever He calls us to, choosing love instead of hate and revenge, and with the stable mind that fixes iteslf on the God of the universe...to whom we are inextricably united.

Why not journal today by listing your most current, more bothersome fears.  Bring them to the Lord, one by one, leaving them in His capable Hands.  Receive what ever words He may say to you about each.  And then rest in the peace that is yours through your indwelling Lord:

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NASB

Christmas: Welcome to our World!

Christmas blessings from a branch in the VINE.
Thank you, dear readers, for journeying with me this Advent!  I hope you feel better prepared to remember our Lord, Emmanuel's coming to our earth.  I certainly do for the writing.

Enjoy this family story, my gift to you, and remember your JESUS!

Taste and see that the Lord is good; how happy is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8

I had good intentions.  The recipe looked easy enough, yet festive:  Chocolate Orange Cake.  I figured this year the boys were old enough to  enjoy a birthday for Jesus.  And who doesn’t like chocolate?  Even though I had been  tempted by the beautiful little chocolate cake at Trader Joe’s, I decided to take the plunge myself.  I pulled out the spring form pan (which I had worked with before) and went at it.

I wasn’t prepared for the result!  Even though my toothpick came out clean, something happened to part of the middle as it cooled on the rack!  If the whole middle had sunk a little, it wouldn’t have been that bad.  But there it was, a desperately mis-shapen birthday cake for Jesus.  My efforts at patching it up just ended in making it worse:  glaze sliding off one side, crumbs in the glaze…nothing I tried helped.

Discouraged, pressured, and ready to pitch the thing and go spend $7.99 for that cute little TJ cake, I remembered… JESUS!  I realized that He probably NEVER had a perfect birthday cake (if they even did that in those days).  Even His actual birth-day was far from perfect…no hospital, no doctor, no nursery with a clean crib and changing table, no doting relatives, no baby showers, no “home sweet home”, not even a room in a hotel…but rather a barn filled with animals, far from loved-ones, with two teen-aged parents, and unclean out-casts with their sheep for visitors!  (Of course, God couldn’t resist throwing in a few angels and a star!  But they were only “visible” to the few believing hearts).

Something began to change in my attitude toward my cake.  Now it was a picture, a “metaphor," for my Lovely Lord who wasn’t one of the beautiful people (kinda like my cake):

He has no beauty or majesty that we should look upon Him nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. (Is 53:2)

My cake began to speak to me of this Glorious One who came to earth and put up with a broken, imperfect life for my sake:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt (pitched His tent) among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten of the Father,  full of grace and truth. (John 1:14).

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…who although He existed in the form of God, …emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:5-8)

So I swallowed my pride and put a little crystal nativity on top.  When it was time for dessert, I read the verses from Isaiah, and we sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus.  The funny thing is that it was actually “delicious”…kinda like Jesus, huh?

Taste and see that the Lord is good; how happy is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD
Chris Rice

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting
Welcome, Holy Child
Welcome, Holy Child

 Hope that You don’t mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make yourself at home
Please make yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking heaven’s silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

 Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2

Advent Devotions: the WITH-ness of our God {from nearness to oneness}

star over bethlehem

Jesus Christ the Son of God became one with us, so that we could be one with Him! 

This glorious truth is at the heart of the Incarnation.  God became one of us!  One with us!  Why?  So that we could experience union with God.

And that takes us back to our 3 Greek prepositions for with:  (see previous post:  The WITH-ness of our God (prepositions):

• para, meaning beside, nearby, in the immediate vicinity or proximity, alongside
• meta, meaning with, in close association with, in companionship with
• sun, meaning together in intimate union, inseparable from

We have been celebrating all month the glorious truth of Emmanuel, God with (meta) us, the Incarnation, God made Man -- in scripture, story, and song.  Last time, we saw that, during Old Testament times, God was certainly with His people, but in a temporary, transcendent, external way.  He was para, alongside, nearby so to speak.

But then Emmanuel came and everything changed!  Now God was in close association with (meta) His people.  But HOW?  That is today's question.

Let's look at the answer in 3 ways (and I promise we will finally see our last preposition sun).  Jesus is our Emmanuel, God WITH us:

• In His Person
• In His Passion (suffering)
• In His Abiding Presence

1.  We've already talked about how God and man are united in Jesus Christ.  In His very Person deity and humanity are united:

images

 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.Colossians 2:9 NLT

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! John 14:9 NLT

And then a significant verse tucked away in John 1:1-18 (you may want to look at the entire passage):

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling ("pitched his tent") among (our word meta, in close association with) us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

2.  But not only is Jesus our Emmanuel in His very Person, but also in His Passion (suffering).  It's a great mystery that God would deign to suffer and die... beyond our comprehension!  But suffer and die He certainly did, to pay for our sins and bring us to God.  In theological terms, we call that substitutionary atonement.**

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

No passage says it more clearly and poignantly than Isaiah 53, the Old Testament prophecy of the Suffering Savior.  An in-depth study of this passage reveals treasures.  However, it doesn't just spell out in detail the sufferings of our Savior in dying as an atonement for sin (see vss 5-12).  It also describes Jesus' sufferings as a righteous human growing up in a fallen world with sinful men.  Let's look briefly at verses 2-4:

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Jesus wasn't one of the "beautiful people." He was ordinary...not attractive physically.  He was rejected, despised because of his "illegitimate" status. (It was no secret that his mom had gotten pregnant before marriage.) Our Savior suffered grief and pain.  Perhaps He was thought to be "unspiritual, ungodly," because He didn't play by the "religious rules."

Does any of that sound familiar?  Well, Jesus our "God meta us" identified with us in the sufferings of our daily life on planet earth.  And because He is both God and Man, He can not only empathize, He can and does help!

...he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted [tried or tested], he is able to help those who are being tempted....For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted [tried, tested] in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15-16

3.  As if all of this hasn't been exciting enough, hear this glorious truth:  Jesus Christ is our Emmanuel, God meta Us in His Abiding Presence...today!  Right now!  This is where our last with preposition comes in -- sun, together in intimate union, inseparable from.

biscuits for Jesus ingredients

In order to show the incredible depth of this preposition, I want to use an illustration that I've borrowed from a favorite Bible teacher, Wayne Barber.  He calls it "Biscuits for Jesus."  I've adapted it a bit to illustrate how all 3 of our with prepositions relate to each other.

There are certain ingredients that go into making biscuits:  flour, salt, baking powder, milk, sugar (if you’re Polish like me), and shortening (namely butter, if you’re Polish like me).  Anyway, as you gather the ingredients and place them next to each other on the kitchen counter, you could say that they are with each other (para, in the Greek), meaning alongside.

Then if you take them and place them in a bowl one by one, you might say that the ingredients are with each other (meta, in the Greek), meaning closely associated with.  At this point, each of the ingredients is still somewhat separate from each other.  Even in the bowl, you could skillfully separate the ingredients from each other to some extent.

biscuits for Jesus biscuits

BUT once you mix those ingredients together, roll them out and cut them, place them on the cookie sheet and bake them, there is no way you can separate those ingredients from each other.  There is a mysterious union of ingredients called “biscuits.”     That’s the Greek word sun, meaning united together with, inseparable from.  And this little word is our word with found in these significant Scriptures (and many more):

Since you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God… For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God… Colossians 3:1-3

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him…. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:3-11 ESV

That's right!  All of the highlighted with's in these verses are our 3rd with preposition sun, united with, inseparable from.   Now we've really plunged the depths of mystery...we are united to the Living God through our Emmanuel, God with Us.

Do you remember our summary statement from John 14?

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another [of the same kind as Himself] Helper, to be with [meta] you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with [para, in Old Testament times] you and will be IN you [in New Testament times]. John 14:16-17 ESV

How would the Helper be with us forever?  By being IN us!  United in life union...

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Did you see that?  With (sun) and in!  You and I are united to the Living God.  We died united to Him, and now He lives His resurrection life in and through us...as us!  What glory!

...Christ in you, the hope of glory! Colossians 1:27

Take a few moments as this Advent season is coming to a close to reflect on Emmanuel Jesus, God with us.  Use the scriptures and songs in these posts and others that come to mind.  If you need a little nudge, explore these questions:

• Are you experiencing the joy & comfort of your Emmanuel’s presence in the midst of your “everyday”?
• Is there anything that you could take out of your life or put into your life that will “make more room” to enjoy the presence of your Emmanuel?
• Write out in your journal your own expressions of love and gratitude to the ONE with whom you are forever united.

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**To further explore the mystery of the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, click on Lenten Meditations: a Word of Abandonment  View the entire Lenten Passion series

Rejoice with exuberance in the Amazing Grace of our Emmanuel!  Click here:

A Christmas light display :)

3rd Week of Advent: EMMANUEL, Our God is WITH Us...

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If ever we needed to know God is WITH us in every possible way, it's NOW, after another year of the unanswerable "why's" of life.  We struggle to make sense of all the suffering and injustices we see all around us.  Though we can't know the answers, we can turn afresh to the One Who has us in the palm of His Hand. The God Who became One of us...flesh and bone and joint and sinew...who experienced every emotion possible, raw and gripping, tender and affectionate!  He felt it all!  And He feels our current struggle with us too!

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested... This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do... So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 2:18; 4:15-16 NLT

This is what we want to explore this week in our Advent devotions...God WITH us!  All the levels of God's WITH-ness!  But first, a song and our Advent readings for the week.

I love this song by Michael Card.  Michael is a Bible scholar as well as a musician, and it shows up in his music.  In this glorious song, there are several Scriptures expressed musically.  What a celebration of the amazing truth of God's WITH-ness!  The verses of Immanuel reference two beautiful prophecies in the Old Testament book of Isaiah:

Nativity

The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).Isaiah 7:14 NLT

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.For those who live in a land of deep darkness,a light will shine. Isaiah 9:2 NLT

The song continues with, comes back to, and ends with this glorious truth in the repeated chorus:

If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ...Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ...No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow —not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love... —indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 NLT

Sing, rejoice, celebrate our Immanuel!

IMMANUEL Michael Card Album: Joy In The Journey

A sign shall be givenA virgin will conceiveA human baby bearingUndiminished deityThe glory of the nationsA light for all to seeThat hope for all who will embraceHis warm reality

Chorus: ImmanuelOur God is with usAnd if God is with usWho could stand against usOur God is with usImmanuel

For all those who live in the shadow of deathA glorious light has dawnedFor all those who stumble in the darknessBehold your light has come

Chorus:ImmanuelOur God is with usAnd if God is with usWho could stand against usOur God is with usImmanuel

So what will be your answer?Will you hear the call?Of Him who did not spare His sonBut gave him for us allOn earth there is no powerThere is no depth or heightThat could ever separate usFrom the love of God in Christ

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSEqXbnOrQU[/youtube]

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Readings for the 3rd Week of Advent:

Sunday -- Luke 12:49-53 Monday -- 1 John 2:24-29 Tuesday -- Luke 1:8-23 Wednesday -- Matthew 1:18-23 Thursday -- Luke 1:24-38 Friday -- Luke 1:39-56 Saturday -- Luke 1:57-80

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We recently viewed again The NATIVITY STORY.  It is one hour and forty minutes well-spent...very moving!  You will be blessed! Here's a link to the entire movie:

 [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meIDz98MFBs[/youtube]

Advent Devotions: Hail, the Incarnate Deity!

We would give up everything we've ever written to have penned this one verse, a stanza that comes as close as is humanly possible to capturing the splendor of who Jesus is.Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ, by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola, p. 173-174

Hark the Heral Angels

What is that one verse? that one stanza?  Authors Sweet & Viola are referring to the last stanza of the well-known carol,Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.

In my opinion, however, it isn't just the last stanza that is all glorious with the splendor of Christ...it's the entire song.  In fact, even the stanzas that were removed* from the older version are splendid indeed.  But I'm getting ahead of the story.

The creation of this classic hymn was not without some conflict and "cut and paste."  Apparently, according to my sources (Wikipedia and Christianity Today), there were at least four people involved in its composition:

• Charles Wesley (the original writer, 1739, and founder of Methodism),

• George Whitfield (a fellow student and colleague with Wesley and a Calvinist, who did some of the "cutting and pasting," much to Wesley's chagrin),

• Felix Mendelssohn (a composer who didn't think this piece of music fit for sacred lyrics),

• William H. Cummings (an English musician who in 1855 put the lyrics to Mendelssohn's piece).

But despite all that this piece of sacred music had gone through in its 100+ years of "evolution," it was regarded as one of the Great Four Anglican Hymns and was published in The Church Hymn Book in 1872.

Gordon Giles in his excerpt in Christianity Today, Dec 2007 asserts,

"Hark! the herald angels sing" has become part of the institution of Christmas, and ... it also sounds out some wonderful theology, musically reminding us that Jesus, the "newborn King," is "Prince of Peace," "Sun of Righteousness," "Everlasting Lord," "Incarnate Deity," and, best of all, "Emmanuel" — "God with us." Whatever its creators would have thought about the hymn as it currently stands, it endures as a reminder of the great gift that our Father God has given us in his Son Jesus Christ... Excerpted from O Come Emmanuel: A Musical Tour of Daily Readings for Advent and Christmas. Copyright ©2006 Gordon Giles.

Take a look at this hymn from the Biblical/theological viewpoint.  The following is a Bible study my husband, John, developed  a few years ago for a small group study.  May you be blessed as you meditate and rejoice in Jesus, our Emmanuel, God Incarnate.

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Hark!  The Herald Angels Sing!

Hark!  The herald angels sing,Luke 2:13 “Glory to the newborn King! Luke 2:14 Peace on earth and mercy mild, Luke 2:14 God and sinners reconciled.”Luke 2 :14; Rom 5:8-11; II Cor 5:18-19 Joyful, all ye nations rise,  Luke 2:10; Luke 2:32 Join the triumph of the skies; With angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem.Luke 2:11 Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ by highest heaven adored;John 17:23-26; 15:9; 3:35; Matthew 3:17Christ the everlasting Lord! Luke 2:11 Late in time behold Him come, Galatians 4:4Offspring of a Virgin’s womb. Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:34,35; Galatians 4:4 Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hebrews 10:20; Romans 8:3; John 1:14Hail the incarnate Deity.Colossians 2:9 Pleased as man with man to dwell,Philippians 2:5-8Jesus, our EmmanuelIsaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Matthew 1:21,25 Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!John 1:14; Isaiah 9:6 Hail the Son of Righteousness!Malachi 4:2 Light and life to all He brings,    John 6:35, 8:12, 10:2, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:5 Ris’n with healing in His wings.Malachi 4:2 Mild He lays His glory by,  Philippians 2:5-8 Born that man no more may dieJohn 3:16; 1John 4:9, 3:2 Born to raise the sons of earth;I Corinthians 15:20-28, 35-49; Philippians 3:20-21 Born to give them second birth. Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Words: Charles Wesley (1707-88), George Whitfield (1714-70), Music: Mendelssohn, from a chorus by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47), adapted by William H. Cummings

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Two versions of this glorious carol...take your pick or enjoy both :)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19w0IHPL4X0[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiP6HtIaJ70[/youtube]

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*Stanzas removed by George Whitfield:

Come, desire of nations, come, Fix in us thy humble home; Rise, the woman's conquering seed, Bruise in us the serpent's head.

Now display thy saving power, Ruin'd nature now restore; Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to thine.

Adam's likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp thy image in its place. Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in thy love.

Let us thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the life, the inner man: O, to all thyself impart, Form'd in each believing heart.

An added tidbit:

George Whitfield changed Wesley's line, "Hark, the herald angels sing!  Glory to the King of Kings!" to the current "...Glory to the Newborn King!" What do you think of the change as well as the removed verses (above)?

2nd Week of Advent: the Really Good News -- GOD with US!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.Luke 2:10 NIV

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"The Good News isn't just that Jesus died for our sins.  The Good News is EMMANUEL...GOD WITH US!"  So declared Deb at the end of our Bible Study.

As John and I drove home that evening, we reflected on her statement.  We recalled a conversation we had had years before when we were discussing what the heart of the gospel ("Good News") is.   The Good News isn't just that our sins are forgiven so we can go to heaven someday (and now we just do the best we can in the meantime).

The heart of it all is GOD is with US!  In Christ's own Person, heaven and earth meet and kiss, so to speak!  In His very own Self, God and Man are forever joined.

Michelangelo's Adam

Because of His Person and His Work, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, joins those of us who were once enemies, alone and without hope, to the Living God.  Now we are friends of God, His children...dare we even say it? in union with Him! GOD with US!  And that is truly News that is GOOD!  And there's a Bible word for that -- reconciliation.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. Colossians 1:21-22 NIV

This week, rejoice in the truly Good News:  GOD with US!  No more chasm* between God and us...Emmanuel has come!  (Romans 5:1-11 and 2 Cor 5:16-21) Enjoy singing and meditating on this rich carol.  We'll explore it more next time:

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ by highest heaven adored; Christ the everlasting Lord! Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a Virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate Deity. Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel! Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth; Born to give them second birth. Hark!  The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Readings for the 2nd Week of Advent:

Sunday -- John 5:17-24

Monday --John 5:25-47

Tuesday -- Matt 9:32-38

Wednesday -- Mark 8:27-38

Thursday -- Mark 9:33-37

Friday -- Mark 10:13-31

Saturday -- Luke 19:28-40

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Connect to the Voice blog for a free download of The Voice translation and a video of the Christmas story from The Voice.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_sQohBF0Kk&utm_medium=email&utm_source=voicenewsletter&utm_term=20121205&utm_campaign=thevoice&utm_content=[/youtube]

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*Navigator Bridge illustration  This diagram is very familiar to many Christians.  But whether it's familiar or new to you, why not click on the link and rehearse afresh the glory of our reconciliation through the Incarnate Christ, our Emmanuel.

bridge illustration

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Thank you to Ann Voskamp for sharing this awesome story...the Truly GOOD NEWS.  It's a MUST SEE!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNDtHdG5mVk&feature=em-share_video_user[/youtube]

christmas trees at honey run 2011

You might also like:Advent Devotions:  The Mega-Joy of Emmanuel

Advent Devotions: The Mega-JOY of Emmanuel

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Joy is the flag that flies over the soul when the King is in residence!Chuck Swindoll

Several years ago, I was leading a small group of ladies through Paul's letter to the Galatians.  In chapter 5, we came to a familiar passage:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,and self control. Galatians 5:22-23

Julie was in that small group that year, and Julie was from Great Britain.  I asked her about Chuck's metaphor.  She assured me that it was true.  When royalty is in residence at the palace, the flag flies. It's the signal to the "subjects" that their monarch is present.

Julie, Robin and me at BE

How fitting a metaphor this is!  When the Lord is present to believing hearts, JOY results!

A few years later, this really hit home again!  We were celebrating Christmas in my home school moms Bible study group that year by sharing our favorite Christmas song/carol.  In almost every case, the over-riding response to the coming of our Lord, our Monarch, the Promised One was...JOY!

We found this to be especially true in the Scriptures surrounding the coming of our Emmanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Look for yourself:

It begins with the coming of John the Baptist, Messiah's forerunner:

Luke 1:12-64 -- promise to John's father Zacharias When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.  But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth...When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

Luke 1:44-45 -- John in Elizabeth's womb encountering Jesus in Mary's womb! "...As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

Luke 1:46-55-- Mary's response to Elizabeth “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior...."

And continues with the angels and shepherds:

Luke 2:10-20 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”...The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

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And even extends to the foreign Magi [my favorite!!!]

Matthew 2: 1-10Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”... they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. [literally, they rejoiced vehemently with MEGA-gladness!]

These are just a few instances.  Why not search out for yourself, in your favorite Christmas songs & Scriptures, the amazing response of JOY to the presence of Emmanuel, our King Jesus, in a believing heart?

Then let's turn away from the glitz and glitter of the season and focus on HIM, the true cause of our JOY and delight!

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Two awesome songs for your time of worship:

[youtuber youtube='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz5_g80q_NM']

JOY Selah

Every breath of air Was a silent prayer I was longing for Your face

And I wondered why All the years went by Without a single trace

Anticipating, Lord, we've been waiting Just watching the days come and go But now we know

Joy and the angels sang There was joy Let the whole world know this Joy, our King has finally come Joy, here is the Promised One

Set the captives free Tell the broken reed Hope has been restored And the one who cries For a wandering child Her tears are not ignored

Father in heaven, You gave us reason to see past the pain of today We celebrate

Chorus

Unending hope for all time When the King of the ages arrived

Chorus

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pn8dW_p-j0[/youtube]

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Kaden the student

Bible Study Here are a few more passages to take a look at:

Nehemiah 8:10

Psalm 16:11

Luke 24:36-53 -- encountering the Risen Christ

1st Week of Advent: O Come, Emmanuel!

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When I was a child, I always loved Advent.  There was a melancholia, a longing...but mixed at the same time with anticipation and hope. How did I get all that as a child?  I'm sure I didn't, except to say that maybe all the sights and sounds and smells...all the scriptures and songs and prayers and stories of the "liturgical celebration" weren't entirely lost on me, nor on many of you.  The reality of our God-Man Jesus has grown in me over the years as I've walked and talked with my Savior.

But whether you have had that sort of background as a child or not, why not journey with us these next weeks.  Take it all in as if for the first time...all the sights, sounds, and smells...all the scriptures and songs and prayers and stories.

Below are Scripture readings for every day this week.  Let the Word of God wash over you day by day.  I've linked the passages to biblegateway.com so you can change the version as you wish.

But first, enjoy this Christmas Carol to start off your Advent devotions.  It's one of my childhood favorites: O Come, O Come  Emmanuel.

I love the intense longing expressed in this song...a longing for the presence of God Himself into our frail humanity...a presence that is our Present Reality in Christ.

Who would have ever imagined it?  God in the flesh!  C.S. Lewis was right when he called the Incarnation (God made Man, God with Us),The Grand Miracle.

Sing it with us, and let the emotion and wonder of it all bathe over you!

O Come O Come Emmanuel Selah

O come, O come, EmmanuelAnd ransom captive IsraelThat mourns in lonely exile hereUntil the Son of God appearRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, freeThine own from Satan's tyrannyFrom depths of Hell Thy people saveAnd give them victory o'er the graveRejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheerOur spirits by Thine advent hereDisperse the gloomy clouds of nightAnd death's dark shadows put to flight.Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,And open wide our heavenly home;Make safe the way that leads on high,And close the path to misery.Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,In ancient times did'st give the Law,In cloud, and majesty and awe.Rejoice! Rejoice! EmmanuelShall come to thee, O Israel. 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q6iesplJRM[/youtube]

For an interesting story behind the song, click here.

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Readings for the First Week of Advent:

Sunday  --  Luke 4:16-21

Monday  --  John 1:1-18

Tuesday  --  Hebrews 1:1-14

Wednesday  --  Philippians 2:1-11

Thursday  --  Luke 2:41-52

Friday  --  Matthew 3:1-17

Saturday  --  Matthew 4:12-25

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The Reading Plan I'm using this year is found in The Voice, a new translation of the New Testament published by Thomas Nelson. For a free download and short video clips, follow this link:

http://www.nelsonfree.com/voicent

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Advent artwork courtesy of my cousin-in-law Marilyn Parente. Of these beautiful creations, Marilyn says, "I created them using images of panels of glass I shot in Disney with a bit of clipart and some Photoshop thrown in for good measure." Thank you so much for sharing, dear sister in the Lord!

December 2012, Today in the Word

Advent Devotions: Celebrating God WITH Us!

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Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming." It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday. Advent prepares us to celebrate  what C.S. Lewis calls the Grand Miracle...the Incarnation!

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation...God became Man.  Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this....it was the central event in the history of the Earth--the very thing the whole story has been about. Miracles, "The Grand Miracle," C.S. Lewis

Join us for the next four weeks in celebrating, through Scripture readings, songs, and devotional thoughts, the greatest miracle of all...God With Us, our Immanuel!

43 YEARS with the Same Man {Reflections on an Enduring Marriage}*

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"Forty years...to the same man?!"  So asked one of my ESL students, amazed! "How old ARE you?!" Retorted a GED student of mine, after learning of my 40 years of marriage.

Actually old enough to be married 43 years today!

Marriage for now 43 years hasn't always been easy to say the least.  (See another year's post for some specifics).  In fact, marriage is God's trick, according to one respected Christian author I follow.  If you achieve bliss, enjoy it because it will be fleeting.  Why?  Because marriage is less about making us happy and more about making us holy...and desperate for our Savior Jesus!

My husband John is a precious man.  I can hardly believe he has endured all these years with me, never wavering, always faithful and true, despite my "crustiness!"

In fact, in a recent conversation of ours, I likened myself to a character in the well-known short story, The Ransom of Red Chief.

The Ransom of Red Chief is a 1910 short story by O. Henry. It follows two men who kidnap and attempt to ransom a wealthy Alabaman's son; eventually, the men are driven to distraction by the boy and end up having to pay the boy's father to take him back.

At times I have been like that boy and have driven my poor husband to distraction.

But thankfully, John has kept me and I have kept him.  And we thank God for each other...despite, or maybe because of, our struggles.  Because as we have been saying in recent years,

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made.
Our times are in his hand who saith,
'A whole I planned, youth shows but half;
Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!'
Robert Browning

So on this our 43rd anniversary, I thank God and you, dear John Loyd, for all these years...of occasional bliss, growing friendship, challenging companionship, increasing oneness, and enduring sacrificial love.

O magnify the LORD with me,And let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3 Our wedding verse November 27, 1971

HOLDING HANDS

One day, far away, you gently won my heart
And one night, by candlelight, we made a vow to never part
And then it seemed just like a dream
When wide eyed, side by side
We faced the future holding hands

Years fly, they hurry by, the simple times are gone
Bills due, a kid or two, a week can feel eight days long
By fading light, let's kiss goodnight
And then we trace God's daily grace
Thankful we're still holding hands

There's a hope that won't let go
There's a truth we know
God is holding us In His arms

Thoughts stray far away to all that lies ahead
In frail days when strength fades
Will we still mean all that we said?
Our love's secure, so rest assured
Come what may 'til that day

We'll walk forever holding hands
By God's grace 'til that day
We'll walk forever holding hands

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdX15209s6A[/youtube]

See John's response

*Last year's anniversary post...with the numbers changed :) Thank you, Lord, for another year together...by Your grace!  Amen!

Overflowing with Gratitude

fall trees

It's not the happy person who is thankful but the thankful person who is happy. Anonymous

Several years ago, I started teaching language and writing to GED students.  Every Wednesday we would do an exercise together as a class to practice writing a five paragraph essay.

As the end of November approached, I chose the topic of Thanksgiving.  I thought that in this age of entitlement it might be a double "win" for the students to count their blessings and practice their writing.

So to prepare for my lesson, I sent out an email to friends and colleagues for quotes about being thankful.  I received some great ones!

Some were fun:

What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets.  I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving? Erma Bombeck

pilgrim family

May your stuffing be tasty May your turkey plump May your potatoes and gravy Have nary a lump May your yams be delicious And may your pies take the prize And may you Thanksgiving dinner Stay off your thighs! Anonymous

Others, really profound:

Gratitude is the least of the virtues, but ingratitude is the worst of the vices. Thomas Fuller

The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts....nevertheless, they set aside a day of thanksgiving.  H.W. Westermayer

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the others. Cicero

And my favorite:

It's not the happy person who is thankful but the thankful person who is happy. Anonymous

But as always, God's Word takes the prize for the most profoundly sublime quote on being thankful.

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Col 2:6-7

Let's meditate for a few moments on this beautiful phrase, overflowing with gratitude:

What does it mean to overflow?

roosevelt dam overflow

A reservoir holds water.  When it rains too much or the snows in the mountains melt, the water flows over the edge.  When my husband John was a child he lived near the Roosevelt Dam.  When the dam spilled over, it was quite an event...a wonder to behold!

And that's what this word in the original language means:  to be in excess, to have more than enough, to super-abound...to overflow!

What is gratitude?

This word means appreciation, thanksgiving and and praise to God...and to others who have enriched our lives. After all, ...what do you have that you did not receive? 1Cor 4:7

communion set

The original word in Greek is eucharistia. In Christian liturgical traditions,

Eucharist is used in modern language for Holy Communion, embodying the highest act of thanksgiving for the greatest gift from God, the sacrifice of Jesus.  It is the grateful acknowledgement of past mercies. Spiro Zodiates

In fact, Jesus Himselfgave thanks to the Father as He broke the bread and blessed the cup at the Last Supper with His disciples.  He acknowledged His Father as the Giver of every good gift and every perfect gift.James 1:17

So let us also, dear brothers and sisters, be a people overflowing with gratitude...not just at this season, but all year long!

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Thanksgivng Exercises:

1. What 5 things can you thank God for right now? In your journal list them. Then chose one of the 5 and list 5 more. Keep going if you'd like. :) If you're having a hard time getting started, take a peek at this link and thank God for the gift of sight

2. Have a time of family or personal communion, thanking the Father for the gift of His precious Son.

3. Do this Bible study exercise:

Kaden the student

Read through the book of Colossians and find at least one verse in each chapter about giving thanks. Be sure to read the context to get the complete message.